The Challenges of Studying Online
The internet is used to deliver online courses, also known as distance education courses. Learning online is a way to earn an internationally recognized credential without having to attend a classroom. It is now a common practice in modern societies all over the world.
My Tight Schedule
I enrolled in online studies to take an English course, but due to my tight schedule, juggling all of the required work was quite a challenge. This isn't the first time I've taken an online course. As a result, I am confident in my ability to complete this course.
Managing Work and Study
I was working a part-time job in a local jewelry and women's shoe store. When I began the English course, I realized that my time was insufficient for the daily studies. My day usually commences at five am, where I would prepare and go to work at the local shop. As much as it may appear rather too early to wake up, I am obliged to pay my bills. After a busy day selling and interacting with customers, I would leave at noon, prepare lunch and clean dishes. At around three pm, I take a nap for one to two hours on the couch, then upon waking, I cycle for twenty minutes to the gym. Working and going to the gym are healthy, comfortable an ideal for my wellbeing. After a one hour work out, at around four pm, I begin my study for at least two to three hours. AT exactly 9 pm, I join mother and assist her in the kitchen. Time is then spent with family until 11 pm after which I embark on the English course, but then I get reminded of the following day’s interviews which I need to prepare. After preparing for the interview, time is far much gone that I’m unable to study. I would sleep at 12 pm and on the following day, board a train for the interview. Interview sessions with companies take two to three hours and after I would complete at around five or six pm. I would still need to go to the agent of job hunting to tell how the interview was and revise my application for the next company. Going back home is from around eight to 9 pm where I would share my interview experience with family, and at about 10 pm, my planner would inform me on my schedule of waking up at five the following morning. To help me balance all the home, work, and school responsibilities, I decided to develop some time-saving schemes, set up a distraction-free study space and utilize online community among online students.
Time-Saving Schemes
For time-saving, I developed a to-do list whereby, I shortlisted all the essential activities starting with the part-time job. Then, dinner preparation and work out at the gym, job hunting which includes attending interviews then lastly spending time with my family and retiring to bed. Operating this way is a significant tool for time management, and this approach aids me in accounting for every time spent thus solves the problem of time wastage. It also helps me avoid the confusion I used to have each day and on this regard, I reconsider rescheduling my calendar and put a proper to-do list as the vital tool for accomplishing all that I need within the required time. On the same approach, I shall involve my family members in assisting me with home chores so that I minimize the time spent doing dishes and other activities and use it to study.
Distraction-Free Study Space
Destruction in the place of work due to customers coming in and out and a lot of noise that is disturbing, enhanced by the inexistence of a library was dealt with by creating a distraction-free study space. Achieving this strategy meant that I move to another place, a commercial building that has a library instead of the previous work which has no study facility. As soon as I heard about this information, I successfully applied for the part-time office job. Advantages of a commercial building, besides having a postmodern library, it has a high-speed internet that is essential for online studies. Another advantage was the fact that new part-time workers were being hired. Therefore, my time for undistracted research was increased. For a gym person like myself, the place is also equipped entirely with gymnastic facilities; therefore, it is effortless to operate tirelessly from the library to the workout area and then head straight back home. This strategy eliminates the time used in walking from my workplace to home, which used to leave me completely worn out, and unable to do anything. At around 6 pm, I am usually done with studying for the forthcoming English placement test. 2 hours of studying the online English course is thus available due to the implementation of this tactic. In other words, this strategy allows me to have adequate time to tackle every piece of work on the to-do list.
Utilizing Online Community
The online community allows me to interact and exchange ideas with other students who are equally learning online. As a practical strategy, it created an incredible platform where I would find fellow students in English course and share with them through online discussions. These consultations evolve around critical areas that are challenging to grasp or comprehend, thus solves my life problem of long hour’s studies that I used to have when reading alone. Additional hours are now available for preparing for other interviews. Thus the strategy has enabled me to enjoy an increased efficacy of job hunting and studies. With all these bright and ideal environments, I have subsequently become more confident to finish English course and also find the best company to work.
Conclusion
The challenges faced in studying online are very much manageable when one puts on the right effective and exclusive strategies to deal with them. Time management is crucial in achieving whatever goal a student or any other professional has since it allows one put the duties in order thus work on each of them sequentially. Having a comfortable working environment is also essential since destructions only limit one from performing or even makes them unable to deliver entirely. Involving other people in reading and revising also allows one to understand better and more on whatever they are learning. It also helps a student to have new and broad ideas by combining the different schools of thought, therefore improving on his/her skills on the subject matter. Planning and setting the right strategy is the first step in achieving the desired goal, then working through the laid out plans with discipline and commitment will make learning a fun and fulfilling activity.
